At this time of year the garden starts to hibernate and the gardening world fall into two tribes. Those who spend the next 2 months out of the garden, and those that spend this time preparing, pruning, planning, dividing and planting. My business and I fall squarely into the latter, while those that fall into the former will spend from February to November trying, in vein, to keep on top of all that needs to be done while regretting all the missed oppertunties to improve their garden.

I’m often asked how best to maintain and developing a garden and the answer is simple. Do all you can while you have the chance because the garden and nature waits for no man.

I normally take some time on Saturdays to collect my thoughts about my horticultural week and write my blog, but last week was different. Turning on the Radio I heard about the attacks in Paris and my blog seemed too insignificant to think or write about, my thoughts consumed by the terrible grief relatives must feel and an irrepressible feeling of there but for the grace of god go I.

I have visited the gardens of Paris a few times and was struck by their beautiful formality and the juxtaposition in the way Parisians use these spaces. Lovers walk hand in hand, friends laughing smoking and drinking coffee together, dog walkers briskly moving amongst the borders, crowds gathered watching street performers and families enjoying the open space. This to me summed up Paris full of life, beauty and Joy and long may it continue.

It has up until late been a fantastic Autumn. Warm days with not much rain, sun illuminating the reds and oranges in the branches of the many gardens I visit each week. Then on Saturday the rain came, torrential making a simple trip to the shed like an SAS training course. But I like the British weather, constantly changing and surprising it wakens the senses and somehow makes one feel more alive.

In the deep midwinter my team and I have often been so cold it’s been difficult to hold a pair of loppers, when working on the many pruning jobs we carry out for clients at that time of year. However, this struggle is somehow bond up in the pleasure we get when the sappy branches spring into life and the season starts anew.

The weather no matter what it throws at me is part of gardening and my love of it stems from there.

After a hiatus of about 2 years I’m back and I think I really should explain reason for my absence; lack of time, sadly a situation only to familiar to most working people. I return at the back end of the season and after a glorious weekend late autumn is suddenly upon me with rain lashing at the study window.

Our garden looks as though there has been a season long party and now it’s over it's time to clear up, pack away and think about planning the next get together. Leaves clutter the paths, the long herbaceous is border is still flowering in part, and my new box hedge is still, thankfully, blight free.

However, I love this season with all its reds, oranges and bronzes our local countryside is truly a wonderful sight to behold; the low sun makes everything shine just a little brighter. The one regret from this season is not keeping my usual garden journal leaving me more than a little lost in terms of what I have done and what I should be planning to do in our garden over the coming winter months.

It’s a very busy time for our team, with so much clearing, pruning, planning and planting they’ve hardly time to draw breath before Spring when hopefully we will see the fruits of our winter’s labours. Speaking of which the rain seems to have briefly stopped so I am up to my log pile to split some wood for tonights fire.

An Essex Gardeners Blog

Author

Matt Miller has been a professional gardener for over 18 years. Matt served his apprenticeship in a large country estate and then took a degree in Landscape Design and Writtle Agricultural College and shortly after Miller’s Garden Services was born.

At this time of year the garden starts to hibernate and the gardening world fall into two tribes. Those who spend the next 2 months out of the garden, and those that spend this time preparing, pruning, planning, dividing and planting. My business and I fall squarely into the latter, while those that fall into the former will spend from February to November trying, in vein, to keep on top of all that needs to be done while regretting all the missed oppertunties to improve their garden.

I’m often asked how best to maintain and developing a garden and the answer is simple. Do all you can while you have the chance because the garden and nature waits for no man.

I normally take some time on Saturdays to collect my thoughts about my horticultural week and write my blog, but last week was different. Turning on the Radio I heard about the attacks in Paris and my blog seemed too insignificant to think or write about, my thoughts consumed by the terrible grief relatives must feel and an irrepressible feeling of there but for the grace of god go I.

I have visited the gardens of Paris a few times and was struck by their beautiful formality and the juxtaposition in the way Parisians use these spaces. Lovers walk hand in hand, friends laughing smoking and drinking coffee together, dog walkers briskly moving amongst the borders, crowds gathered watching street performers and families enjoying the open space. This to me summed up Paris full of life, beauty and Joy and long may it continue.

It has up until late been a fantastic Autumn. Warm days with not much rain, sun illuminating the reds and oranges in the branches of the many gardens I visit each week. Then on Saturday the rain came, torrential making a simple trip to the shed like an SAS training course. But I like the British weather, constantly changing and surprising it wakens the senses and somehow makes one feel more alive.

In the deep midwinter my team and I have often been so cold it’s been difficult to hold a pair of loppers, when working on the many pruning jobs we carry out for clients at that time of year. However, this struggle is somehow bond up in the pleasure we get when the sappy branches spring into life and the season starts anew.

The weather no matter what it throws at me is part of gardening and my love of it stems from there.

After a hiatus of about 2 years I’m back and I think I really should explain reason for my absence; lack of time, sadly a situation only to familiar to most working people. I return at the back end of the season and after a glorious weekend late autumn is suddenly upon me with rain lashing at the study window.

Our garden looks as though there has been a season long party and now it’s over it's time to clear up, pack away and think about planning the next get together. Leaves clutter the paths, the long herbaceous is border is still flowering in part, and my new box hedge is still, thankfully, blight free.

However, I love this season with all its reds, oranges and bronzes our local countryside is truly a wonderful sight to behold; the low sun makes everything shine just a little brighter. The one regret from this season is not keeping my usual garden journal leaving me more than a little lost in terms of what I have done and what I should be planning to do in our garden over the coming winter months.

It’s a very busy time for our team, with so much clearing, pruning, planning and planting they’ve hardly time to draw breath before Spring when hopefully we will see the fruits of our winter’s labours. Speaking of which the rain seems to have briefly stopped so I am up to my log pile to split some wood for tonights fire.

An Essex Gardeners Blog

Author

Matt Miller has been a professional gardener for over 18 years. Matt served his apprenticeship in a large country estate and then took a degree in Landscape Design and Writtle Agricultural College and shortly after Miller’s Garden Services was born.